16. Kennedy spent September 1943 refitting the boat at Tulagi
The refit of PT 59 took five weeks. Kennedy lived on the boat throughout the conversion. Two other boats went through the same process. The boats were ordered to move to Lambu Lambu Cove, on Vella LaVella, where one gunboat was assigned to each of the three PT boat commands. The addition of extra guns and armor reduced the speed of the boats to well below their initial design. They also consumed more fuel than in their lighter configurations. Their range was reduced as a result. The boats were moved into a position to support the next phase of the Solomon Islands campaign; the capture of Bougainville. First, the Americans planned a diversionary attack on Choiseul Island.
The diversionary tactic was called Operation Blissful. It involved a Marine parachute operation which led to Marines being trapped at the mouth of the Warrior River on Choiseul. The Marine commander requested Navy assistance to evacuate the troops trapped on the island, under heavy Japanese fire. Operation Blissful was intended to force the Japanese to station more troops on Choiseul, thus weakening their garrison on Bougainville. Kennedy, by then a full lieutenant, was assigned by his commanding officer, Lt. Arthur Berndsten, to go to the aid of the beleaguered Marines. Berndsten had commanded one of the two boats which rescued the crew of PT 109 earlier that year.
